In the forest on the outskirts of Konoha, in the Land of Fire.
Orochimaru, who was moving through the tree trunks, suddenly stopped. A small, thin green snake emerged from his sleeve and coiled around his wrist.
The Konoha Ninja squad also stopped with him. Uchiha Jinsuke asked, "Lord Orochimaru, did something happen?"
"Nothing. Continue back to the village."
After giving the order, Orochimaru led the way at the front of the group. Looking towards the village, the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.
Yakushi Kabuto had sent back information from the Akatsuki organization, which meant he had already embarked on a journey across the ninja world with White Zetsu to find rubies.
Of the two requests, the latter was to ensure the Akatsuki organization's research yielded results, while the former was to ease Obito's surveillance of Konoha.
Just as Nagato and the others had thought, he had now reduced the failure rate of surgery to an extremely low level, making mass production of wood-style ninjas entirely feasible.
And to ensure a sufficient number of First Hokage cells for experimentation, he indeed had to do so.
The entire matter could not be fully disclosed to Obito, and he was only to be shown the tip of the iceberg.
To achieve this, besides necessary concealment, it was natural to reduce the effort Obito put into deploying White Zetsu.
Of course, Orochimaru would not simply believe that achieving these two points was enough.
Later, when performing the actual surgical experiments, he would also enlist the help of the Genie to keep an eye on the underground, and capture White Zetsu clones a few times as a warning to Obito.
Doing this alone might not be effective, and might even provoke Obito's defiance. However, with layers of obstacles and a series of actions, the probability of success would be greatly enhanced.
Besides limiting Obito, this request was also to increase Kabuto's strength.
Both mastered Senjutsu. While their physical abilities were yet to be discussed, the gap in their souls was like an unbridgeable chasm.
Orochimaru's spiritual power could reach hundreds of meters underground, allowing him to extract any mineral deposit to fight, but this was too difficult for Yakushi Kabuto.
In terms of Chakra, it was manageable. As he aged and his body matured, it would further increase. However, improving one's soul was not so easy, otherwise, the barrier to the 'Spiritual Transformation Technique' would not be so high.
If Yakushi Kabuto did not prepare specific mineral deposits in advance, he could only fight with ordinary soil. Although this, with the advantage of natural energy, was superior to Earth Release, its advantage against Kekkei Genkai users was not obvious, and he might even be at a disadvantage.
Ruby, also known as corundum, is only second to diamond in hardness but lacks diamond's flammability.
Melting corundum requires at least two thousand degrees Celsius, and vaporizing it requires nearly three thousand degrees.
Even Sage Art Fire Release, strengthened by Jiraiya, might not reach this temperature, making it an extremely versatile material.
Orochimaru himself did not choose to use corundum simply because it was scarce and troublesome to collect.
With sufficient corundum, Yakushi Kabuto's self-preservation ability would greatly increase.
While many thoughts flashed through his mind, Orochimaru's steps did not stop. He led the Konoha squad through the forests of the Land of Fire and finally arrived at the village in the afternoon.
Thump, thump, thump...
A group of thirteen people landed at the gate of Konoha. There were more figures than usual among the guards, clearly waiting there long before.
The Anbu squad leader at the front saw Orochimaru's appearance and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. However, he did not stop and walked up to Orochimaru. He bowed slightly and, ignoring Orochimaru's travel-worn appearance, said directly, "Hokage-sama has summoned you. Please go to the Hokage's office immediately."
"Heh... Old man, you're really eager."
Orochimaru chuckled lightly, stamped his foot on the ground, and leaped over the Anbu squad leader, heading directly towards the Hokage building.
Among the remaining Konoha squad, Kakashi and Uchiha Jinsuke exchanged glances and then turned towards the mission center.
Despite the twists and turns, they had made it through safely. The ore traded with the Land of Thunder had been delivered the night after they arrived at the border fortress, just as Lord Orochimaru had expected.
Now, they could report the mission.
"..."
Traversing rooftops and over buildings, Orochimaru and his group arrived at the Hokage building in a short while.
The Anbu squad returned to their posts. Orochimaru pushed open the door to the Hokage's office and went inside.
His gaze swept over the three Hokage advisors already seated in the conference room, arguing about something, and the faces of the Third and Tsunade. Orochimaru immediately understood that this was an internal meeting to brief them in advance. Even the Jōnin representative, Nara Shikaku, had not been called.
Hearing the door open, the voices in the conference room paused for a moment. Everyone's attention shifted to Orochimaru, with varying degrees of surprise.
His height was a minor issue; what truly surprised them was Orochimaru's weak Chakra reaction, only at the Jōnin level. However, those golden serpent eyes were exceptionally oppressive, making one want to mistake him for a Byakugan user.
A mix of strength and weakness, his overall demeanor was very strange.
If Orochimaru knew what they were thinking, he would probably sigh at their keen eyesight.
They were not mistaken. In fact, the day this clone was created, he had already become a Byakugan user.
He had chosen the Byakugan, which appeared to be the most stable option at present.
Facing everyone's gazes, Orochimaru pulled up a chair and sat down, smiling, "What are you talking about? Don't worry about me, you can continue."
Hearing this, everyone except Tsunade looked somewhat uncomfortable.
What could be discussed in this meeting? Naturally, it was the issue of who would undergo the "physique enhancement surgery" first after Orochimaru's return.
But they were discussing the distribution before the person involved had even arrived, which was quite awkward.
Hearing this question, everyone turned their gazes to the Third, intending to urge him to speak.
As Hokage, having handled affairs for so many years, Sarutobi Hiruzen's composure had long been honed. At this moment, he spoke directly, asking the most crucial question, "Regarding the physique enhancement surgery we discussed earlier, how is your research progressing? What is the specific success rate?"
While Orochimaru had been communicating with the village through Slug Sage during his time in Shikkotsu Forest, he had been secretive about these surgical matters, only saying vague things like "prospects are promising" and "significant progress has been made."
Therefore, the Third knew very little about it even now, and could only infer from some samurai data collected later. Of course, even that data had made the Third very eager.
Orochimaru smirked and held up two fingers.
The Third Hokage looked at the gesture and frowned, "Eighty percent?"
"To be exact, it's a ninety-eight percent chance."
Orochimaru smiled proudly, "In other words, barring those two percent of accidents, I have absolute confidence."
Unlike the transplantation of First Hokage cells, the fusion with White Zetsu was a technology that had been completely mastered. The two were of the same origin, and the theoretical rejection reaction was entirely within controllable limits.
It was ironic, in a way, that White Zetsu, which had mutated from a low-level Ootsutsuki, was actually closer to ordinary ninjas than the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
"A ninety-eight percent chance..."
A gleam flashed in the Third's eyes. From his understanding, Orochimaru was a rational and meticulous person. If he were not truly confident, he would never have spoken so definitively.
This success rate was much higher than he had imagined.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances, both showing joy. They could imagine how powerful the village would become after a round of surgeries.
Tsunade's expression was somewhat complicated.
She was also aware of the samurai's regenerative abilities. Although not as effective as her Ninjutsu, they required almost no treatment from low-level medical ninjas. She could imagine that if such a physique were widespread, the position of Director of Konoha Central Hospital might become difficult to fill.
Danzo, sitting at the far end, narrowed his eyes slightly, concealing a fleeting shadow within them.
This "physique enhancement surgery" was an opportunity for him, a chance for Root to stand up again, which he must seize.
But how to operate under the eyes of Orochimaru and the Third was a problem.
Moreover, the surgery had to go through Orochimaru, which meant his subordinates could no longer remain hidden underground.
He needed to weigh in what capacity he could obtain slots.
Glancing around at everyone's varied expressions, Orochimaru added, "If the materials are sufficient and the surgery goes smoothly, I can perform at least ten surgeries in one day."
This figure further excited everyone.
Konoha currently had tens of thousands of ninjas, with one in a hundred being a Jōnin, numbering just over two hundred.
In other words, as long as conditions permitted, Konoha could have two hundred immortal Jōnin within ten days.
This thought alone was enough to make one excited.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura suddenly recalled how, a year or two ago in this very conference room, they had opposed Orochimaru's unauthorized human experiments. They sighed with emotion.
It wasn't that they regretted their past actions, but they knew that if faced with the same situation again, they would still do the same. The peculiar emotion grew even stronger.
But no matter what, Orochimaru had not violated regulations by experimenting on his own villagers, and now he had achieved results. They had contributed a little, hadn't they?
Unlike the excited Hokage advisors, the Third remained rational and asked in a deep voice, "What is the cost of one surgery?"
"The average cost is not high, but some items are extremely rare."
Orochimaru licked his lips, took out a list from his robe, waved it on the conference table, and handed it to Tsunade.
Tsunade glanced at it briefly and nodded to the Third.
With her eyesight, it was not difficult to see that the expensive parts were medications to stabilize the ninja's physique. Orochimaru had not written anything carelessly.
Of course, she couldn't tell the quantities.
However, judging by this list alone, even if there was some personal gain, it was not excessive.
The surgery had a high success rate, the cost was acceptable, and the speed was not too slow... In all aspects, it was good news for Konoha.
But great opportunity also came with great risk. No one present doubted that if Konoha were to aggressively proceed with the "physique enhancement surgery" the next day, Kusagakure Ninja would declare war on Konoha that very day.
Land of Earth, Land of Thunder, and even their ally, the Land of Wind, would all exert all their strength to attack Konoha.
To be honest, in the past, even if besieged, Konoha would have resolutely carried out the surgery. It wasn't the first time, and they would have weathered through it.
But the situation was different now. The power of Pain from the Akatsuki organization was truly formidable on an individual level.
If they were to push ahead forcibly, they would most likely be annihilated as a nation and a village.
Konoha was now like an ordinary villager who had discovered a ton of gold under their house. Revealing such wealth would bring about a fatal disaster, and they had no choice but to be careful.
This dangerous situation applied equally to Danzo.
He would employ some minor tactics to ensure his subordinates participated in the surgery, but all of this had to be done without alerting the enemy.
He intended to be the Hokage of Konoha, not a stray dog struggling to survive.
A villager with a ton of gold could choose to ignore it, pretend nothing happened. But to turn the gold into actual profit, the most feasible method was to divide it into batches.
The question now was, how many batches? And who would get the first share of this benefit?
"This matter brings immense benefits to the village, but the process must be handled with extreme caution,"
The Third Hokage furrowed his brow and scanned everyone present.
"The creatures from the Akatsuki organization called White Zetsu are indeed difficult to defend against. Over the past year, even with the addition of the Hyuga clan to the patrol teams and their staggered patrols throughout the village, traces of them are still intermittently discovered."
"Here are the detection frequencies and areas."
The map displayed by the Third was divided into hexagonal grids, with colors of varying depths indicating the number of times White Zetsu clones had been discovered.
The Konoha high-ranking officials present looked displeased.
Not to mention Konoha Central Hospital and Konoha Prison... even the Hokage building had been spied upon, which was simply shocking.
Although sealing techniques prevented sensory Ninjutsu from peering into the interior, such behavior itself was a cause for alarm.
"It's not just that."
Tsunade waved the list of medicinal ingredients in her hand, "If we purchase a large quantity of medicinal ingredients later, it will also attract their attention. Generally speaking, these items, although rare, are not used by many people."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also voiced their opinions, listing the problems they had thought of one by one.
"..."
After a full half-hour discussion, the specific matters were settled.
The first batch of surgeries would be nominally set at fifty people, selected only from the Jōnin. This would be publicly announced as the threshold for low-risk surgeries.
Secondly, only one surgery would be performed per day, increasing the duration of the surgeries and exaggerating the difficulty of the procedure.
In addition, there were a series of other measures that served to support these two points.
Of course, these were only the publicly designated candidates for surgery. In secret, there were also fifty additional slots.
Orochimaru would, based on the selected candidates, avoid the eyes and ears of others and provide doorstep service.
"Whether it's openly or privately..."
The Third Hokage spoke, "I want twenty percent of these slots."
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